US20230371926A1 - Ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and control method for ultrasound diagnostic apparatus - Google Patents
Ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and control method for ultrasound diagnostic apparatus Download PDFInfo
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- US20230371926A1 US20230371926A1 US18/365,550 US202318365550A US2023371926A1 US 20230371926 A1 US20230371926 A1 US 20230371926A1 US 202318365550 A US202318365550 A US 202318365550A US 2023371926 A1 US2023371926 A1 US 2023371926A1
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- 238000002604 ultrasonography Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 287
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims description 25
- 239000000523 sample Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 263
- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 160
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- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 5
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- HBBGRARXTFLTSG-UHFFFAOYSA-N Lithium ion Chemical compound [Li+] HBBGRARXTFLTSG-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 238000001514 detection method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 229910052451 lead zirconate titanate Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 229910001416 lithium ion Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 238000012544 monitoring process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000010363 phase shift Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000001902 propagating effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- BQCIDUSAKPWEOX-UHFFFAOYSA-N 1,1-Difluoroethene Chemical compound FC(F)=C BQCIDUSAKPWEOX-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- FYYHWMGAXLPEAU-UHFFFAOYSA-N Magnesium Chemical compound [Mg] FYYHWMGAXLPEAU-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 230000015556 catabolic process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000919 ceramic Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000013078 crystal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000006731 degradation reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005401 electroluminescence Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000020169 heat generation Effects 0.000 description 1
- HFGPZNIAWCZYJU-UHFFFAOYSA-N lead zirconate titanate Chemical compound [O-2].[O-2].[O-2].[O-2].[O-2].[Ti+4].[Zr+4].[Pb+2] HFGPZNIAWCZYJU-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000004973 liquid crystal related substance Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052749 magnesium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000011777 magnesium Substances 0.000 description 1
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Classifications
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
- A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
- A61B8/44—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device
- A61B8/4444—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device related to the probe
- A61B8/4472—Wireless probes
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
- A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
- A61B8/44—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device
- A61B8/4483—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer
- A61B8/4488—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer the transducer being a phased array
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
- A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
- A61B8/54—Control of the diagnostic device
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
- A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
- A61B8/56—Details of data transmission or power supply
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
- A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
- A61B8/44—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device
- A61B8/4405—Device being mounted on a trolley
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
- A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
- A61B8/44—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device
- A61B8/4427—Device being portable or laptop-like
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
- A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
- A61B8/46—Ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic devices with special arrangements for interfacing with the operator or the patient
- A61B8/467—Ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic devices with special arrangements for interfacing with the operator or the patient characterised by special input means
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
- A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
- A61B8/52—Devices using data or image processing specially adapted for diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
- A61B8/5269—Devices using data or image processing specially adapted for diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves involving detection or reduction of artifacts
Definitions
- the present invention relates to an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and a control method for an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, and particularly, to an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and a control method for an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus for switching and using two connection modes: wired connection and wireless connection, between an ultrasound probe and an apparatus main body.
- this type of ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprises an ultrasound probe incorporating a transducer array, and an apparatus main body connected to the ultrasound probe, and an ultrasound beam is transmitted from the transducer array of the ultrasound probe toward a subject under examination, an ultrasound echo from the subject under examination is received by the transducer array, and a reception signal is electrically processed, so that an ultrasound image is generated and displayed on a monitor of the apparatus main body.
- an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus has been developed to improve operability and mobility of an ultrasound probe by establishing a wireless connection between the ultrasound probe and an apparatus main body through wireless communication.
- JP2019-187783A discloses an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus that switches and uses two connection modes: wired connection and wireless connection, between an ultrasound probe and an apparatus main body such that one of wired connection or wireless connection can be selected.
- An ultrasound probe that can be wirelessly connected to an apparatus main body such as the ultrasound probe in JP2019-187783A, often incorporates all circuits from transmission and reception of ultrasound waves to generation of an ultrasound image, and both during wireless connection and during wired connection, each circuit in the ultrasound probe operates in the same operational environment.
- each circuit is accommodated within a limited space inside a housing. This requires balancing factors such as heat generation, battery voltage, and wireless bandwidth for each circuit. As a result, constraints have inevitably been imposed on the transmission voltage for transmitting ultrasound waves from a transducer array, a frame rate for generating ultrasound images, a usage time of the ultrasound probe, and the like.
- the present invention has been made in order to solve such a conventional problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and a control method for an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus capable of improving a performance thereof even in a case of switching and using two connection modes: wired connection and wireless connection, between an ultrasound probe and an apparatus main body.
- an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprising:
- a transmission voltage higher than the transmission voltage supplied from the in-probe power supply circuit during wireless connection is supplied from the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body to the transmission circuit.
- the probe control unit may be configured to: drive the reception circuit in a low power consumption mode in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wireless connection; and drive the reception circuit in a low noise mode in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection.
- the ultrasound probe may include an image generation unit configured to generate an ultrasound image based on the reception signal
- the probe control unit may be configured to supply power from the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body to the transmission circuit, the reception circuit, and the image generation unit in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection, and to cause the image generation unit to generate the ultrasound image at a higher frame rate than a frame rate during wireless connection.
- a configuration may also be employed in which, in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wireless connection, a variable transmission voltage is supplied from the in-probe power supply circuit to the transmission circuit, and in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection, a variable transmission voltage having a voltage range wider than a voltage range of the transmission voltage during wireless connection is supplied from the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body to the transmission circuit.
- the ultrasound probe may include a booster circuit configured to boost the output voltage of the built-in battery, and the in-probe power supply circuit may be configured to generate the transmission voltage using an output voltage of the booster circuit.
- a control method for an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus including an apparatus main body that includes an external power supply circuit, and an ultrasound probe that is used by switching between a wireless connection mode and a wired connection mode with respect to the apparatus main body and that includes a transducer array, a transmission circuit, a reception circuit, and a built-in battery, the control method comprising:
- a transmission voltage higher than the transmission voltage supplied from the in-probe power supply circuit during wireless connection is supplied from the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body to the transmission circuit.
- the reception circuit may be driven in a low power consumption mode in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wireless connection, and the reception circuit may be driven in a low noise mode in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection.
- the ultrasound probe may include an image generation unit configured to generate an ultrasound image based on the reception signal, and power may be supplied from the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body to the transmission circuit, the reception circuit, and the image generation unit in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection, and the ultrasound image may be generated by the image generation unit at a higher frame rate than a frame rate during wireless connection.
- a configuration may also be employed in which, in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wireless connection, a variable transmission voltage is supplied from the in-probe power supply circuit to the transmission circuit, and in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection, a variable transmission voltage having a voltage range wider than a voltage range of the transmission voltage during wireless connection is supplied from the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body to the transmission circuit.
- a transmission voltage is supplied from the in-probe power supply circuit, which generates the transmission voltage using the output voltage of the built-in battery of the ultrasound probe, to the transmission circuit, and in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection, the transmission voltage is supplied from the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body to the transmission circuit. Therefore, it is possible to improve the performance even in a case of switching and using two connection modes: wired connection and wireless connection, between the ultrasound probe and the apparatus main body.
- FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention during wireless connection.
- FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a reception circuit in Embodiment 1.
- FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of an image generation unit in Embodiment 1.
- FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 1 during wired connection.
- FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 1.
- FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus in a case of performing an ultrasound examination.
- FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an ultrasound probe used in an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 2.
- a numerical range represented by “to” means a range including numerical values described before and after “to” as a lower limit value and an upper limit value, respectively.
- FIG. 1 shows a configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
- the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus is an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus that includes an ultrasound probe 1 and an apparatus main body 2 connected to the ultrasound probe 1 and that switches and uses two connection modes: wired connection and wireless connection, between the ultrasound probe 1 and the apparatus main body 2 .
- the ultrasound probe 1 includes a transducer array 11 , and a transmission circuit 12 and a reception circuit 13 are connected to the transducer array 11 .
- a transmission and reception control unit 14 is connected to the transmission circuit 12 and the reception circuit 13 , and an image generation unit 15 is connected to the reception circuit 13 .
- a wireless communication circuit 16 is connected to the image generation unit 15 , and a communication control unit 17 is further connected to the wireless communication circuit 16 .
- the probe control unit 18 is connected to the transmission and reception control unit 14 , the image generation unit 15 , and the communication control unit 17 .
- a probe side processor 19 is composed of the transmission circuit 12 , the reception circuit 13 , the transmission and reception control unit 14 , the image generation unit 15 , the communication control unit 17 , and the probe control unit 18 .
- the ultrasound probe 1 incorporates a built-in battery 20 , and a high voltage (HV) power supply circuit (in-probe power supply circuit) 21 and a system power supply circuit 22 are each connected to the built-in battery 20 .
- the ultrasound probe 1 includes connection terminals T 1 , T 2 , and T 3 for connecting the ultrasound probe 1 to the apparatus main body 2 via a connection cable (not shown), and a first changeover switch SW 1 is connected between the HV power supply circuit 21 and the connection terminal T 1 , and the transmission circuit 12 , a second changeover switch SW 2 is connected between the built-in battery 20 and the connection terminal T 2 , and the system power supply circuit 22 , and the image generation unit 15 is connected to the connection terminal T 3 .
- HV high voltage
- the apparatus main body 2 includes a wireless communication circuit 31 , and a display control unit 32 and a monitor 33 are sequentially connected to the wireless communication circuit 31 .
- a communication control unit 34 is connected to the wireless communication circuit 31
- a main body control unit 35 is connected to the display control unit 32 and the communication control unit 34 .
- an input device 36 is connected to the main body control unit 35 .
- a main body side processor 37 is composed of the display control unit 32 , the communication control unit 34 , and the main body control unit 35 .
- the apparatus main body 2 incorporates a battery 38 , and a high voltage (HV) power supply circuit 39 and a bus power supply circuit 40 are each connected to the battery 38 .
- the HV power supply circuit 39 and the bus power supply circuit 40 constitute an external power supply circuit disposed outside the ultrasound probe 1 .
- the apparatus main body 2 includes connection terminals T 4 , T 5 , and T 6 for connecting the apparatus main body 2 to the ultrasound probe 1 via the connection cable (not shown), and the HV power supply circuit 39 is connected to the connection terminal T 4 , the bus power supply circuit 40 is connected to the connection terminal T 5 , and the display control unit 32 is connected to the connection terminal T 6 .
- the transducer array 11 of the ultrasound probe 1 includes a plurality of ultrasound transducers one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally arranged. Each of these transducers transmits an ultrasound wave in accordance with a drive signal supplied from the transmission circuit 12 and outputs an analog reception signal by receiving a reflected wave from the subject under examination.
- each transducer is composed of a piezoelectric body consisting of piezoelectric ceramic represented by lead zirconate titanate (PZT), a polymer piezoelectric element represented by poly vinylidene di fluoride (PVDF), piezoelectric single crystal represented by lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate (PMN-PT), or the like, and electrodes formed at both ends of the piezoelectric body.
- PZT lead zirconate titanate
- PVDF polymer piezoelectric element represented by poly vinylidene di fluoride
- PMN-PT lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate
- the transmission circuit 12 includes, for example, a plurality of pulse generators and supplies respective drive signals to the plurality of transducers by adjusting delay amounts such that ultrasound waves transmitted from the plurality of transducers of the transducer array 11 form an ultrasound beam, based on a transmission delay pattern selected according to a control signal from the transmission and reception control unit 14 .
- a pulsed or continuous-wave voltage is applied to the electrodes of the transducer of the transducer array 11
- the piezoelectric body expands and contracts, and a pulsed or continuous-wave ultrasound wave is generated from each of the transducers, so that the ultrasound beam is formed from a combined wave of these ultrasound waves.
- the transmitted ultrasound beam is reflected in, for example, a target such as a site of the subject under examination, and an ultrasound echo propagates toward the transducer array 11 .
- the ultrasound echo propagating toward the transducer array 11 in this way is received by each of the transducers constituting the transducer array 11 .
- each of the transducers constituting the transducer array 11 expands and contracts by receiving the propagating ultrasound echo, and generates a reception signal (electrical signal), thereby outputting these reception signals to the reception circuit 13 .
- the reception circuit 13 processes the signals output from the transducer array 11 in accordance with a control signal from the transmission and reception control unit 14 to generate a sound ray signal.
- the reception circuit 13 has a configuration in which an amplification section 41 , an analog-to-digital (AD) conversion section 42 , and a beam former 43 are connected in series.
- AD analog-to-digital
- the amplification section 41 amplifies the reception signal, which is an analog signal input from each of the transducers constituting the transducer array 11 , and transmits the amplified reception signal to the AD conversion section 42 .
- the AD conversion section 42 converts the analog reception signal transmitted from the amplification section 41 into a digital signal to acquire reception data and sends out the reception data to the beam former 43 .
- the beam former 43 performs so-called reception focus processing of performing addition (phase addition) by applying a delay to each reception data following a set sound velocity based on a reception delay pattern selected according to a control signal from the transmission and reception control unit 14 .
- reception focus processing By performing this reception focus processing, a sound ray signal in which the focus of the ultrasound echo is narrowed down is generated.
- the transmission and reception control unit 14 controls the transmission circuit 12 and the reception circuit 13 to transmit the ultrasound beam and receive the ultrasound echo based on an examination mode and a scanning method as instructed by the probe control unit 18 .
- the examination mode includes available examination modes in the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, such as a brightness mode (B-mode), a motion mode (M-mode), a color flow mode (CF-mode), a pulsed wave doppler mode (PW-mode), and a continuous wave doppler mode (CW-mode), and the scanning method indicates, for example, any one of an electronic sector scanning method, an electronic linear scanning method, an electronic convex scanning method, or the like.
- the image generation unit 15 generates a so-called B-mode image based on the sound ray signal generated by the reception circuit 13 .
- the image generation unit 15 has a configuration in which a signal processing section 44 , a digital scan converter (DSC) 45 , and an image processing section 46 are sequentially connected in series.
- DSC digital scan converter
- the signal processing section 44 generates a B-mode image signal, which is tomographic image information regarding the internal tissues of the subject under examination, by performing envelope detection processing after correcting the attenuation caused by a distance according to the depth of the position where ultrasound waves are reflected, with respect to the sound ray signal generated by the reception circuit 13 .
- the DSC 45 converts (raster-converts) the B-mode image signal generated by the signal processing section 44 into an image signal according to a normal television signal scanning method.
- the image processing section 46 performs various types of necessary image processing, such as gradation processing, on the B-mode image signal input from the DSC 45 and then sends out the B-mode image signal (hereinafter, referred to as a B-mode image), which has been subjected to image processing, to the wireless communication circuit 16 and the connection terminal T 3 .
- the wireless communication circuit 16 wirelessly transmits the B-mode image generated by the image generation unit 15 to the apparatus main body 2 in a case where the ultrasound probe 1 and the apparatus main body 2 are connected to each other via wireless connection.
- the wireless communication circuit 16 includes an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves, and modulates a carrier based on the B-mode image to generate a transmission signal and supplies the transmission signal to the antenna to transmit the radio waves from the antenna, thereby wirelessly transmitting the B-mode image to the apparatus main body 2 .
- a carrier modulation method amplitude shift keying (ASK), phase shift keying (PSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), 16 quadrature amplitude modulation (16QAM), and the like are used.
- the communication control unit 17 controls the wireless communication circuit 16 such that the B-mode image is transmitted at a transmission radio wave intensity set by the probe control unit 18 .
- the probe control unit 18 controls each unit of the ultrasound probe 1 based on a program or the like stored in advance.
- the built-in battery 20 is incorporated into the ultrasound probe 1 , is composed of, for example, a single-cell lithium ion battery having an output voltage, such as 3.6 V, and is a battery that allows for a small mounting space within the ultrasound probe 1 .
- the built-in battery 20 supplies the output voltage to the HV power supply circuit 21 and the system power supply circuit 22 .
- the HV power supply circuit 21 has, for example, a boost converter configuration that does not use a transformer, and is a power supply circuit that is difficult to obtain a relatively high voltage but allows for a small mounting space within the ultrasound probe 1 .
- the HV power supply circuit 21 boosts the output voltage from the built-in battery 20 to, for example, 36 V, which is about 10 times, or the like and supplies the boosted voltage to the transmission circuit 12 as the transmission voltage.
- This transmission voltage is supplied as a drive signal to each of the transducers constituting the transducer array 11 by the transmission circuit 12 .
- the system power supply circuit 22 converts the output voltage from the built-in battery 20 into, for example, about 1 to 3 V and supplies the converted voltage to each circuit in the ultrasound probe 1 as a drive voltage.
- the first changeover switch SW 1 is switched and controlled by the probe control unit 18 to selectively connect one of the HV power supply circuit 21 or the connection terminal T 1 to the transmission circuit 12 .
- the second changeover switch SW 2 is switched and controlled by the probe control unit 18 to selectively connect one of the built-in battery 20 or the connection terminal T 2 to the system power supply circuit 22 .
- the probe control unit 18 switches and controls the first changeover switch SW 1 such that the HV power supply circuit 21 is connected to the transmission circuit 12 , and switches and controls the second changeover switch SW 2 such that the built-in battery 20 is connected to the system power supply circuit 22 , in a case where the apparatus main body 2 is connected to the ultrasound probe 1 via wireless connection.
- the probe control unit 18 switches and controls the first changeover switch SW 1 such that the connection terminal T 1 is connected to the transmission circuit 12 , and switches and controls the second changeover switch SW 2 such that the connection terminal T 2 is connected to the system power supply circuit 22 .
- the probe side processor 19 including the transmission circuit 12 , the reception circuit 13 , the transmission and reception control unit 14 , the image generation unit 15 , the communication control unit 17 , and the probe control unit 18 of the ultrasound probe 1 is composed of a central processing unit (CPU) that executes various programs and a control program for causing the CPU to perform various types of processing, but the probe side processor 19 may be composed of a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or other integrated circuits (ICs), or may be composed of a combination thereof.
- FPGA field programmable gate array
- DSP digital signal processor
- ASIC application specific integrated circuit
- GPU graphics processing unit
- ICs integrated circuits
- the transmission circuit 12 , the reception circuit 13 , the transmission and reception control unit 14 , the image generation unit 15 , the communication control unit 17 , and the probe control unit 18 of the probe side processor 19 can also be configured by being partially or wholly integrated into one CPU or the like.
- the wireless communication circuit 31 of the apparatus main body 2 receives the B-mode image wirelessly transmitted from the wireless communication circuit 16 of the ultrasound probe 1 .
- the wireless communication circuit 31 includes an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves, and receives a transmission signal transmitted by the wireless communication circuit 16 of the ultrasound probe 1 via the antenna and demodulates the received transmission signal to send out the B-mode image to the display control unit 32 .
- the display control unit 32 causes the monitor 33 to display the B-mode image received via the wireless communication circuit 31 as a display image.
- the monitor 33 is controlled by the display control unit 32 to display the B-mode image as the display image, and examples thereof include a display device, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) and an organic electroluminescence display (organic EL display).
- a display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) and an organic electroluminescence display (organic EL display).
- the communication control unit 34 controls the wireless communication circuit 31 such that the transmission signal transmitted from the wireless communication circuit 16 of the ultrasound probe 1 is received.
- the main body control unit 35 controls each unit of the apparatus main body 2 based on a program stored in advance in a storage unit (not shown) or the like and an input operation performed by an operator via the input device 36 .
- the input device 36 is used for the operator to perform an input operation, and can be configured by a keyboard, a mouse, a trackball, a touch pad, a touch panel, or the like.
- a configuration can also be employed in which a touch sensor is combined with the monitor 33 and the touch sensor is used as the input device 36 .
- the battery 38 supplies power to the HV power supply circuit 39 and the bus power supply circuit 40 .
- the battery 38 is composed of a plurality of cells of lithium ion batteries connected in series.
- the HV power supply circuit 39 has, for example, a flyback converter configuration using a transformer and is a power supply circuit that requires a large mounting space but can obtain a higher voltage. Specifically, the HV power supply circuit 39 boosts an output voltage from the battery 38 to about 70 to 100 V and supplies the transmission voltage to the transmission circuit 12 of the ultrasound probe 1 via the cable C in a case where the apparatus main body 2 is connected to the ultrasound probe 1 via wired connection using the cable C. That is, a transmission voltage higher than the transmission voltage supplied by the HV power supply circuit 21 in the ultrasound probe 1 can be supplied from the HV power supply circuit 39 of the apparatus main body 2 to the transmission circuit 12 of the ultrasound probe 1 during wired connection.
- the bus power supply circuit 40 converts the output voltage from the battery 38 to, for example, about 5 V and supplies the converted voltage as a drive voltage to each circuit in the apparatus main body 2 , and supplies power to the system power supply circuit 22 of the ultrasound probe 1 via the cable (not shown) in a case where the apparatus main body 2 is connected to the ultrasound probe 1 via wired connection.
- the main body side processor 37 including the display control unit 32 , the communication control unit 34 , and the main body control unit 35 of the apparatus main body 2 is composed of a CPU and a control program for causing the CPU to perform various types of processing, but the main body side processor 37 may be composed of FPGA, DSP, ASIC, GPU, or other ICs, or may be composed of a combination thereof.
- the display control unit 32 , the communication control unit 34 , and the main body control unit 35 of the main body side processor 37 can also be configured by being partially or wholly integrated into one CPU or the like.
- step S 1 it is determined whether the ultrasound probe 1 and the apparatus main body 2 are connected via wireless connection or via wired connection. This determination can be performed, for example, by the probe control unit 18 of the ultrasound probe 1 monitoring potentials of the connection terminals T 1 and T 2 , or monitoring the communication environment in the wireless communication circuit 16 .
- the process proceeds to step S 2 , and the transmission voltage for transmitting ultrasound waves is supplied from the built-in battery 20 of the ultrasound probe 1 to the transmission circuit 12 .
- the first changeover switch SW 1 is switched and controlled by the probe control unit 18 such that the HV power supply circuit 21 is connected to the transmission circuit 12 , and the HV power supply circuit 21 boosts the output voltage from the built-in battery 20 to, for example, 36 V or the like and supplies the boosted voltage to the transmission circuit 12 via the first changeover switch SW 1 .
- the second changeover switch SW 2 is switched and controlled by the probe control unit 18 such that the built-in battery 20 is connected to the system power supply circuit 22 .
- the system power supply circuit 22 converts the output voltage from the built-in battery 20 into, for example, about 1 to 3 V and supplies the converted voltage to each circuit in the ultrasound probe 1 as the drive voltage.
- the bus power supply circuit 40 converts the output voltage from the battery 38 into, for example, about 5 V and supplies the converted voltage to each circuit in the apparatus main body 2 as the drive voltage.
- step S 5 the ultrasound beam is transmitted into the subject under examination from the plurality of transducers of the transducer array 11 in accordance with the drive signal from the transmission circuit 12 under the control of the transmission and reception control unit 14 of the ultrasound probe 1 .
- the drive signal supplied from the transmission circuit 12 to the plurality of transducers of the transducer array 11 is formed based on the transmission voltage supplied from the HV power supply circuit 21 to the transmission circuit 12 .
- the ultrasound echo by the subject under examination is received by the plurality of transducers of the transducer array 11 , and the reception signal, which is an analog signal, is output from the plurality of transducers to the reception circuit 13 .
- the reception signal is amplified by the amplification section 41 of the reception circuit 13 , subjected to AD conversion by the AD conversion section 42 , and then subjected to reception focus processing by the beam former 43 , whereby the sound ray signal is generated, and the sound ray signal is sent out from the reception circuit 13 to the image generation unit 15 .
- step S 7 the B-mode image is generated by the image generation unit 15 based on the sound ray signal.
- the B-mode image signal is generated by correcting the attenuation caused by the distance according to the depth of the position where ultrasound waves are reflected and performing the envelope detection processing through the signal processing section 44 of the image generation unit 15 , the B-mode image signal is converted into the image signal according to the normal television signal scanning method by the DSC 45 , and various types of necessary image processing, such as gradation processing, is performed by the image processing section 46 , so that the B-mode image is generated.
- the B-mode image generated in this manner is transmitted from the ultrasound probe 1 to the apparatus main body 2 in step S 8 .
- the B-mode image generated by the image generation unit 15 is wirelessly transmitted from the wireless communication circuit 16 to the apparatus main body 2 .
- the B-mode image wirelessly transmitted from the ultrasound probe 1 to the apparatus main body 2 is received by the wireless communication circuit 31 of the apparatus main body 2 and displayed on the monitor 33 via the display control unit 32 in step S 9 .
- step S 4 of FIG. 5 it is determined whether or not the examination using ultrasound waves has been completed, and in a case where it is determined that the examination has not yet been completed, the process returns to step S 1 , and processing of steps S 1 and S 2 is repeated, and in a case where it is determined that the examination has been completed, a series of processing ends.
- step S 1 in a case where the ultrasound probe 1 and the apparatus main body 2 are connected via wired connection using the cable C, the process proceeds to step S 3 , and the transmission voltage for transmitting ultrasound waves is supplied from the apparatus main body 2 to the transmission circuit 12 of the ultrasound probe 1 .
- the first changeover switch SW 1 is switched and controlled by the probe control unit 18 such that the connection terminal T 1 is connected to the transmission circuit 12 , and a power voltage boosted to about 70 to 100 V by the HV power supply circuit 39 of the apparatus main body 2 is supplied to the transmission circuit 12 of the ultrasound probe 1 via the connection terminal T 4 of the apparatus main body 2 , the cable C, the connection terminal T 1 of the ultrasound probe 1 , and the first changeover switch SW 1 .
- the second changeover switch SW 2 is switched and controlled by the probe control unit 18 such that the connection terminal T 2 is connected to the system power supply circuit 22 .
- a power voltage converted to, for example, about 5 V by the bus power supply circuit 40 of the apparatus main body 2 which constitutes the external power supply circuit, is supplied to the system power supply circuit 22 of the ultrasound probe 1 via the connection terminal T 5 of the apparatus main body 2 , the cable C, the connection terminal T 2 of the ultrasound probe 1 , and the second changeover switch SW 2 .
- the system power supply circuit 22 receives the power voltage supplied from the bus power supply circuit 40 of the apparatus main body 2 and supplies the drive voltage to each circuit in the ultrasound probe 1 .
- step S 5 the ultrasound beam is transmitted into the subject under examination from the plurality of transducers of the transducer array 11 in accordance with the drive signal from the transmission circuit 12 under the control of the transmission and reception control unit 14 of the ultrasound probe 1 .
- the drive signal supplied from the transmission circuit 12 to the plurality of transducers of the transducer array 11 is formed based on the transmission voltage that is boosted to about 70 to 100 V by the HV power supply circuit 39 of the apparatus main body 2 , which constitutes the external power supply circuit, and that is supplied to the transmission circuit 12 of the ultrasound probe 1 .
- a transmission voltage higher than a transmission voltage of 36 V or the like supplied from the HV power supply circuit 21 in the ultrasound probe 1 to the transmission circuit 12 during wireless connection is supplied from the HV power supply circuit 39 of the apparatus main body 2 to the transmission circuit 12 during wired connection. Therefore, a stronger (higher-energy) ultrasound beam can be transmitted from the plurality of transducers of the transducer array 11 .
- the ultrasound echo by the subject under examination is received by the plurality of transducers of the transducer array 11 , and the reception signal, which is an analog signal, is output from the plurality of transducers to the reception circuit 13 . Then, in step S 6 , the sound ray signal is generated by the reception circuit 13 , and in step S 7 , the B-mode image is further generated by the image generation unit 15 .
- the generated B-mode image is transmitted from the ultrasound probe 1 to the apparatus main body 2 in subsequent step S 8 .
- the B-mode image generated by the image generation unit 15 is transmitted to the apparatus main body 2 via the connection terminal T 3 of the ultrasound probe 1 , the cable C, and connection terminal T 6 of the apparatus main body 2 .
- the B-mode image is displayed on the monitor 33 by the display control unit 32 of the apparatus main body 2 .
- a stronger ultrasound beam can be transmitted from the plurality of transducers of the transducer array 11 by using the high transmission voltage supplied from the HV power supply circuit 39 of the apparatus main body 2 during wired connection, which makes it possible to display a clear B-mode image of a deeper region of the subject under examination.
- step S 4 of FIG. 5 it is determined whether or not the examination using ultrasound waves has been completed, and in a case where it is determined that the examination has not yet been completed, the process returns to step S 1 , and processing of steps S 1 and S 3 is repeated, and in a case where it is determined that the examination has been completed, a series of processing ends.
- the ultrasound probe 1 that is compact and has excellent portability is configured. Therefore, the operability of the ultrasound probe 1 is improved in a case where the ultrasound probe 1 and the apparatus main body 2 are connected via wireless connection, and a clearer ultrasound image can be acquired by supplying a higher transmission voltage than the transmission voltage during wireless connection from the HV power supply circuit 39 of the apparatus main body 2 to the transmission circuit 12 of the ultrasound probe 1 in a case where the ultrasound probe 1 and the apparatus main body 2 are connected via wired connection. That is, it is possible to achieve both improvement in operability of the ultrasound probe 1 during wireless connection and acquisition of an ultrasound image with high image quality during wired connection.
- a power voltage converted to, for example, about 5 V, which is higher than the output voltage of the built-in battery 20 of the ultrasound probe 1 is supplied to the system power supply circuit 22 of the ultrasound probe 1 by the bus power supply circuit 40 of the apparatus main body 2 during wired connection, so that it is possible to reduce the power loss while using the same system power supply circuit 22 , and it is possible to suppress temperature rise inside the ultrasound probe 1 .
- the output voltage from the battery 38 is boosted to about 70 to 100 V and supplied to the transmission circuit 12 of the ultrasound probe 1 by the HV power supply circuit 39 of the apparatus main body 2 during wired connection, heat is generated from the HV power supply circuit 39 .
- the HV power supply circuit 39 is mounted inside the apparatus main body 2 , the temperature rise caused by the heat generated by the HV power supply circuit 39 does not occur inside the ultrasound probe 1 .
- the surface temperature of the ultrasound probe 1 is limited to a temperature below predetermined safety standards.
- the HV power supply circuit 21 which has a relatively low output voltage, is used in the ultrasound probe 1 so that the temperature rise inside the ultrasound probe 1 is suppressed while sacrificing the performance degradation of ultrasound image generation, and during wired connection, the transmission voltage is supplied from the HV power supply circuit 39 , which has a relatively high output voltage, of the apparatus main body 2 to the transmission circuit 12 in the ultrasound probe 1 so that an ultrasound image with high image quality can be obtained while suppressing the temperature rise inside the ultrasound probe 1 .
- the power consumption in the ultrasound probe 1 is suppressed, which enables prolonged operation of the ultrasound probe 1 using the built-in battery 20 .
- the probe control unit 18 of the ultrasound probe 1 can drive the reception circuit 13 in a low power consumption mode in order to suppress the power consumption in the ultrasound probe 1 in a case where the apparatus main body 2 is connected to the ultrasound probe 1 via wireless connection, and can also drive the reception circuit 13 in a low noise mode in order to improve the image quality of the ultrasound image to be generated, in a case where the apparatus main body 2 is connected to the ultrasound probe 1 via wired connection.
- the probe control unit 18 of the ultrasound probe 1 supplies the power voltage from the bus power supply circuit 40 of the apparatus main body 2 to the system power supply circuit 22 of the ultrasound probe 1 to supply the drive voltage from the system power supply circuit 22 to each circuit in the ultrasound probe 1 including the transmission circuit 12 , the reception circuit 13 , and the image generation unit 15 in a case where the apparatus main body 2 is connected to the ultrasound probe 1 via wired connection, thereby reducing the power loss inside the probe control unit 18 , so that the image generation unit 15 can also generate the ultrasound image at a higher frame rate than the that during wireless connection.
- the HV power supply circuit 21 of the ultrasound probe 1 can be configured to supply a variable transmission voltage to the transmission circuit 12 , whereby the probe control unit 18 can supply the transmission circuit 12 with, for example, a transmission voltage corresponding to the depth of a region to be imaged from the HV power supply circuit 21 in a case where the apparatus main body 2 is connected to the ultrasound probe 1 via wireless connection.
- the HV power supply circuit 39 of the apparatus main body 2 which constitutes the external power supply circuit, can also be configured to supply the transmission circuit 12 with a variable transmission voltage having a voltage range wider than the transmission voltage supplied from the HV power supply circuit 21 of the ultrasound probe 1 during wireless connection in a case where the apparatus main body 2 is connected to the ultrasound probe 1 via wired connection.
- a transmission voltage higher than that during wireless connection can be supplied to the transmission circuit 12
- a transmission voltage lower than that during wireless connection can also be supplied to the transmission circuit 12 in a case where ultrasound pulses are repeatedly transmitted, for example.
- FIG. 7 shows a configuration of an ultrasound probe 1 A used in an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
- the ultrasound probe 1 A is obtained by adding a booster circuit 23 to the ultrasound probe 1 used in the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiment 1 shown in FIG. 1 .
- the booster circuit 23 is connected to the built-in battery 20 , and the HV power supply circuit 21 and the second changeover switch SW 2 are connected to the booster circuit 23 .
- Other configurations of the ultrasound probe 1 A are the same as those of the ultrasound probe 1 shown in FIG. 1 .
- the booster circuit 23 boosts an output voltage of the built-in battery 20 , such as 3.6 V to, for example, 5 V, 12 V, or the like, and is a circuit that has, for example, a boost converter configuration which does not use a transformer and that allows for a small mounting space within the ultrasound probe 1 A.
- the probe control unit 18 switches and controls the first changeover switch SW 1 such that the HV power supply circuit 21 is connected to the transmission circuit 12 , and switches and controls the second changeover switch SW 2 such that the booster circuit 23 is connected to the system power supply circuit 22 .
- the output voltage of the built-in battery 20 is once boosted by the booster circuit 23
- the transmission voltage further boosted by the HV power supply circuit 21 is supplied to the transmission circuit 12
- the voltage boosted by the booster circuit 23 is stepped down by the system power supply circuit 22 and is supplied as the drive voltage to each circuit in the ultrasound probe 1 A. Accordingly, it is possible to improve the conversion efficiency of the power voltage in the ultrasound probe 1 A.
- the probe control unit 18 switches and controls the first changeover switch SW 1 such that the connection terminal T 1 is connected to the transmission circuit 12 , and switches and controls the second changeover switch SW 2 such that the connection terminal T 2 is connected to the system power supply circuit 22 .
- the power voltage boosted by the HV power supply circuit 39 of the apparatus main body 2 is supplied from the connection terminal T 1 to the transmission circuit 12 via the first changeover switch SW 1 without passing through the booster circuit 23 of the ultrasound probe 1 A.
- a power voltage converted to, for example, about 5 V by the bus power supply circuit 40 of the apparatus main body 2 is supplied from the connection terminal T 2 to the system power supply circuit 22 via the second changeover switch SW 2 , and the drive voltage is supplied from the system power supply circuit 22 to each circuit in the ultrasound probe 1 A.
- the apparatus main body 2 a portable or handheld compact apparatus main body can be used, and a stationary apparatus main body can also be used.
- the apparatus main body 2 can also be configured to draw power from a commercial power source without incorporating the battery 38 .
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Abstract
There is provided an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus including: an apparatus main body; and an ultrasound probe that is used by switching between a wireless connection mode and a wired connection mode with respect to the apparatus main body, in which the apparatus main body includes an external power supply circuit, and the ultrasound probe includes: a transducer array; a transmission circuit configured to transmit an ultrasound wave toward a subject under examination by supplying a transmission voltage to the transducer array; a reception circuit configured to receive an ultrasound echo from the subject under examination and acquire a reception signal; a built-in battery; an in-probe power supply circuit configured to generate the transmission voltage using an output voltage of the built-in battery; and a probe control unit configured to supply the transmission voltage from the in-probe power supply circuit to the transmission circuit in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wireless connection, and to supply the transmission voltage from the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body to the transmission circuit in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection.
Description
- This application is a Continuation of PCT International Application No. PCT/JP2021/045085 filed on Dec. 8, 2021, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) to Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-047208 filed on Mar. 22, 2021. The above applications are hereby expressly incorporated by reference, in their entirety, into the present application.
- The present invention relates to an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and a control method for an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, and particularly, to an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and a control method for an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus for switching and using two connection modes: wired connection and wireless connection, between an ultrasound probe and an apparatus main body.
- Hitherto, in the medical field, an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus using an ultrasound image has been put to practical use. In general, this type of ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprises an ultrasound probe incorporating a transducer array, and an apparatus main body connected to the ultrasound probe, and an ultrasound beam is transmitted from the transducer array of the ultrasound probe toward a subject under examination, an ultrasound echo from the subject under examination is received by the transducer array, and a reception signal is electrically processed, so that an ultrasound image is generated and displayed on a monitor of the apparatus main body.
- In recent years, an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus has been developed to improve operability and mobility of an ultrasound probe by establishing a wireless connection between the ultrasound probe and an apparatus main body through wireless communication.
- Further, for example, JP2019-187783A discloses an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus that switches and uses two connection modes: wired connection and wireless connection, between an ultrasound probe and an apparatus main body such that one of wired connection or wireless connection can be selected.
- An ultrasound probe that can be wirelessly connected to an apparatus main body, such as the ultrasound probe in JP2019-187783A, often incorporates all circuits from transmission and reception of ultrasound waves to generation of an ultrasound image, and both during wireless connection and during wired connection, each circuit in the ultrasound probe operates in the same operational environment.
- However, in the ultrasound probe that can be wirelessly connected, each circuit is accommodated within a limited space inside a housing. This requires balancing factors such as heat generation, battery voltage, and wireless bandwidth for each circuit. As a result, constraints have inevitably been imposed on the transmission voltage for transmitting ultrasound waves from a transducer array, a frame rate for generating ultrasound images, a usage time of the ultrasound probe, and the like.
- Therefore, it is desired to realize higher performance for the ultrasound probe that can be wirelessly connected.
- The present invention has been made in order to solve such a conventional problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and a control method for an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus capable of improving a performance thereof even in a case of switching and using two connection modes: wired connection and wireless connection, between an ultrasound probe and an apparatus main body.
- In order to achieve the above-described object, according to the present invention, there is provided an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprising:
-
- an apparatus main body; and
- an ultrasound probe that is used by switching between a wireless connection mode and a wired connection mode with respect to the apparatus main body,
- in which the apparatus main body includes an external power supply circuit, and
- the ultrasound probe includes
- a transducer array,
- a transmission circuit configured to transmit an ultrasound wave toward a subject under examination by supplying a transmission voltage to the transducer array,
- a reception circuit configured to receive an ultrasound echo from the subject under examination and acquire a reception signal,
- a built-in battery,
- an in-probe power supply circuit configured to generate the transmission voltage using an output voltage of the built-in battery, and
- a probe control unit configured to supply the transmission voltage from the in-probe power supply circuit to the transmission circuit in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wireless connection, and to supply the transmission voltage from the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body to the transmission circuit in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection.
- It is preferable that, in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection, a transmission voltage higher than the transmission voltage supplied from the in-probe power supply circuit during wireless connection is supplied from the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body to the transmission circuit.
- The probe control unit may be configured to: drive the reception circuit in a low power consumption mode in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wireless connection; and drive the reception circuit in a low noise mode in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection.
- In addition, the ultrasound probe may include an image generation unit configured to generate an ultrasound image based on the reception signal, and the probe control unit may be configured to supply power from the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body to the transmission circuit, the reception circuit, and the image generation unit in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection, and to cause the image generation unit to generate the ultrasound image at a higher frame rate than a frame rate during wireless connection.
- A configuration may also be employed in which, in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wireless connection, a variable transmission voltage is supplied from the in-probe power supply circuit to the transmission circuit, and in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection, a variable transmission voltage having a voltage range wider than a voltage range of the transmission voltage during wireless connection is supplied from the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body to the transmission circuit.
- The ultrasound probe may include a booster circuit configured to boost the output voltage of the built-in battery, and the in-probe power supply circuit may be configured to generate the transmission voltage using an output voltage of the booster circuit.
- According to the present invention, there is provided a control method for an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus including an apparatus main body that includes an external power supply circuit, and an ultrasound probe that is used by switching between a wireless connection mode and a wired connection mode with respect to the apparatus main body and that includes a transducer array, a transmission circuit, a reception circuit, and a built-in battery, the control method comprising:
-
- supplying a transmission voltage from an in-probe power supply circuit, which is configured to generate the transmission voltage using an output voltage of the built-in battery, to the transmission circuit in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wireless connection; and
- supplying the transmission voltage from the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body to the transmission circuit in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection.
- It is preferable that, in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection, a transmission voltage higher than the transmission voltage supplied from the in-probe power supply circuit during wireless connection is supplied from the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body to the transmission circuit.
- The reception circuit may be driven in a low power consumption mode in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wireless connection, and the reception circuit may be driven in a low noise mode in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection.
- The ultrasound probe may include an image generation unit configured to generate an ultrasound image based on the reception signal, and power may be supplied from the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body to the transmission circuit, the reception circuit, and the image generation unit in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection, and the ultrasound image may be generated by the image generation unit at a higher frame rate than a frame rate during wireless connection.
- A configuration may also be employed in which, in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wireless connection, a variable transmission voltage is supplied from the in-probe power supply circuit to the transmission circuit, and in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection, a variable transmission voltage having a voltage range wider than a voltage range of the transmission voltage during wireless connection is supplied from the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body to the transmission circuit.
- According to the present invention, in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wireless connection, a transmission voltage is supplied from the in-probe power supply circuit, which generates the transmission voltage using the output voltage of the built-in battery of the ultrasound probe, to the transmission circuit, and in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection, the transmission voltage is supplied from the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body to the transmission circuit. Therefore, it is possible to improve the performance even in a case of switching and using two connection modes: wired connection and wireless connection, between the ultrasound probe and the apparatus main body.
-
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according toEmbodiment 1 of the present invention during wireless connection. -
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a reception circuit inEmbodiment 1. -
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of an image generation unit inEmbodiment 1. -
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according toEmbodiment 1 during wired connection. -
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according toEmbodiment 1. -
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus in a case of performing an ultrasound examination. -
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an ultrasound probe used in an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according toEmbodiment 2. - Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
- The description of configuration requirements to be described below is made based on a representative embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment.
- In the present specification, a numerical range represented by “to” means a range including numerical values described before and after “to” as a lower limit value and an upper limit value, respectively.
- In the present specification, “same” and “identical” include an error range generally allowed in the technical field.
-
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according toEmbodiment 1 of the present invention. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus is an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus that includes anultrasound probe 1 and an apparatusmain body 2 connected to theultrasound probe 1 and that switches and uses two connection modes: wired connection and wireless connection, between theultrasound probe 1 and the apparatusmain body 2. - As shown in
FIG. 1 , theultrasound probe 1 includes atransducer array 11, and atransmission circuit 12 and areception circuit 13 are connected to thetransducer array 11. A transmission andreception control unit 14 is connected to thetransmission circuit 12 and thereception circuit 13, and animage generation unit 15 is connected to thereception circuit 13. Awireless communication circuit 16 is connected to theimage generation unit 15, and acommunication control unit 17 is further connected to thewireless communication circuit 16. - The
probe control unit 18 is connected to the transmission andreception control unit 14, theimage generation unit 15, and thecommunication control unit 17. - A
probe side processor 19 is composed of thetransmission circuit 12, thereception circuit 13, the transmission andreception control unit 14, theimage generation unit 15, thecommunication control unit 17, and theprobe control unit 18. - In addition, the
ultrasound probe 1 incorporates a built-inbattery 20, and a high voltage (HV) power supply circuit (in-probe power supply circuit) 21 and a systempower supply circuit 22 are each connected to the built-inbattery 20. Further, theultrasound probe 1 includes connection terminals T1, T2, and T3 for connecting theultrasound probe 1 to the apparatusmain body 2 via a connection cable (not shown), and a first changeover switch SW1 is connected between the HVpower supply circuit 21 and the connection terminal T1, and thetransmission circuit 12, a second changeover switch SW2 is connected between the built-inbattery 20 and the connection terminal T2, and the systempower supply circuit 22, and theimage generation unit 15 is connected to the connection terminal T3. - Meanwhile, the apparatus
main body 2 includes awireless communication circuit 31, and adisplay control unit 32 and amonitor 33 are sequentially connected to thewireless communication circuit 31. In addition, acommunication control unit 34 is connected to thewireless communication circuit 31, and a mainbody control unit 35 is connected to thedisplay control unit 32 and thecommunication control unit 34. Further, aninput device 36 is connected to the mainbody control unit 35. - A main
body side processor 37 is composed of thedisplay control unit 32, thecommunication control unit 34, and the mainbody control unit 35. - In addition, the apparatus
main body 2 incorporates abattery 38, and a high voltage (HV)power supply circuit 39 and a buspower supply circuit 40 are each connected to thebattery 38. The HVpower supply circuit 39 and the buspower supply circuit 40 constitute an external power supply circuit disposed outside theultrasound probe 1. Further, the apparatusmain body 2 includes connection terminals T4, T5, and T6 for connecting the apparatusmain body 2 to theultrasound probe 1 via the connection cable (not shown), and the HVpower supply circuit 39 is connected to the connection terminal T4, the buspower supply circuit 40 is connected to the connection terminal T5, and thedisplay control unit 32 is connected to the connection terminal T6. - The
transducer array 11 of theultrasound probe 1 includes a plurality of ultrasound transducers one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally arranged. Each of these transducers transmits an ultrasound wave in accordance with a drive signal supplied from thetransmission circuit 12 and outputs an analog reception signal by receiving a reflected wave from the subject under examination. For example, each transducer is composed of a piezoelectric body consisting of piezoelectric ceramic represented by lead zirconate titanate (PZT), a polymer piezoelectric element represented by poly vinylidene di fluoride (PVDF), piezoelectric single crystal represented by lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate (PMN-PT), or the like, and electrodes formed at both ends of the piezoelectric body. - The
transmission circuit 12 includes, for example, a plurality of pulse generators and supplies respective drive signals to the plurality of transducers by adjusting delay amounts such that ultrasound waves transmitted from the plurality of transducers of thetransducer array 11 form an ultrasound beam, based on a transmission delay pattern selected according to a control signal from the transmission andreception control unit 14. In this way, in a case where a pulsed or continuous-wave voltage is applied to the electrodes of the transducer of thetransducer array 11, the piezoelectric body expands and contracts, and a pulsed or continuous-wave ultrasound wave is generated from each of the transducers, so that the ultrasound beam is formed from a combined wave of these ultrasound waves. - The transmitted ultrasound beam is reflected in, for example, a target such as a site of the subject under examination, and an ultrasound echo propagates toward the
transducer array 11. The ultrasound echo propagating toward thetransducer array 11 in this way is received by each of the transducers constituting thetransducer array 11. At this time, each of the transducers constituting thetransducer array 11 expands and contracts by receiving the propagating ultrasound echo, and generates a reception signal (electrical signal), thereby outputting these reception signals to thereception circuit 13. - The
reception circuit 13 processes the signals output from thetransducer array 11 in accordance with a control signal from the transmission andreception control unit 14 to generate a sound ray signal. As shown inFIG. 2 , thereception circuit 13 has a configuration in which anamplification section 41, an analog-to-digital (AD)conversion section 42, and a beam former 43 are connected in series. - The
amplification section 41 amplifies the reception signal, which is an analog signal input from each of the transducers constituting thetransducer array 11, and transmits the amplified reception signal to theAD conversion section 42. - The
AD conversion section 42 converts the analog reception signal transmitted from theamplification section 41 into a digital signal to acquire reception data and sends out the reception data to the beam former 43. - The beam former 43 performs so-called reception focus processing of performing addition (phase addition) by applying a delay to each reception data following a set sound velocity based on a reception delay pattern selected according to a control signal from the transmission and
reception control unit 14. By performing this reception focus processing, a sound ray signal in which the focus of the ultrasound echo is narrowed down is generated. - The transmission and
reception control unit 14 controls thetransmission circuit 12 and thereception circuit 13 to transmit the ultrasound beam and receive the ultrasound echo based on an examination mode and a scanning method as instructed by theprobe control unit 18. Here, the examination mode includes available examination modes in the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, such as a brightness mode (B-mode), a motion mode (M-mode), a color flow mode (CF-mode), a pulsed wave doppler mode (PW-mode), and a continuous wave doppler mode (CW-mode), and the scanning method indicates, for example, any one of an electronic sector scanning method, an electronic linear scanning method, an electronic convex scanning method, or the like. - The
image generation unit 15 generates a so-called B-mode image based on the sound ray signal generated by thereception circuit 13. As shown inFIG. 3 , theimage generation unit 15 has a configuration in which asignal processing section 44, a digital scan converter (DSC) 45, and animage processing section 46 are sequentially connected in series. - The
signal processing section 44 generates a B-mode image signal, which is tomographic image information regarding the internal tissues of the subject under examination, by performing envelope detection processing after correcting the attenuation caused by a distance according to the depth of the position where ultrasound waves are reflected, with respect to the sound ray signal generated by thereception circuit 13. - The
DSC 45 converts (raster-converts) the B-mode image signal generated by thesignal processing section 44 into an image signal according to a normal television signal scanning method. - The
image processing section 46 performs various types of necessary image processing, such as gradation processing, on the B-mode image signal input from theDSC 45 and then sends out the B-mode image signal (hereinafter, referred to as a B-mode image), which has been subjected to image processing, to thewireless communication circuit 16 and the connection terminal T3. - The
wireless communication circuit 16 wirelessly transmits the B-mode image generated by theimage generation unit 15 to the apparatusmain body 2 in a case where theultrasound probe 1 and the apparatusmain body 2 are connected to each other via wireless connection. - More specifically, the
wireless communication circuit 16 includes an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves, and modulates a carrier based on the B-mode image to generate a transmission signal and supplies the transmission signal to the antenna to transmit the radio waves from the antenna, thereby wirelessly transmitting the B-mode image to the apparatusmain body 2. As a carrier modulation method, amplitude shift keying (ASK), phase shift keying (PSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), 16 quadrature amplitude modulation (16QAM), and the like are used. - The
communication control unit 17 controls thewireless communication circuit 16 such that the B-mode image is transmitted at a transmission radio wave intensity set by theprobe control unit 18. - The
probe control unit 18 controls each unit of theultrasound probe 1 based on a program or the like stored in advance. - Further, the built-in
battery 20 is incorporated into theultrasound probe 1, is composed of, for example, a single-cell lithium ion battery having an output voltage, such as 3.6 V, and is a battery that allows for a small mounting space within theultrasound probe 1. The built-inbattery 20 supplies the output voltage to the HVpower supply circuit 21 and the systempower supply circuit 22. - The HV
power supply circuit 21 has, for example, a boost converter configuration that does not use a transformer, and is a power supply circuit that is difficult to obtain a relatively high voltage but allows for a small mounting space within theultrasound probe 1. Specifically, the HVpower supply circuit 21 boosts the output voltage from the built-inbattery 20 to, for example, 36 V, which is about 10 times, or the like and supplies the boosted voltage to thetransmission circuit 12 as the transmission voltage. This transmission voltage is supplied as a drive signal to each of the transducers constituting thetransducer array 11 by thetransmission circuit 12. - The system
power supply circuit 22 converts the output voltage from the built-inbattery 20 into, for example, about 1 to 3 V and supplies the converted voltage to each circuit in theultrasound probe 1 as a drive voltage. - The first changeover switch SW1 is switched and controlled by the
probe control unit 18 to selectively connect one of the HVpower supply circuit 21 or the connection terminal T1 to thetransmission circuit 12. - Similarly, the second changeover switch SW2 is switched and controlled by the
probe control unit 18 to selectively connect one of the built-inbattery 20 or the connection terminal T2 to the systempower supply circuit 22. - As shown in
FIG. 1 , theprobe control unit 18 switches and controls the first changeover switch SW1 such that the HVpower supply circuit 21 is connected to thetransmission circuit 12, and switches and controls the second changeover switch SW2 such that the built-inbattery 20 is connected to the systempower supply circuit 22, in a case where the apparatusmain body 2 is connected to theultrasound probe 1 via wireless connection. - On the other hand, as shown in
FIG. 4 , in a case where the apparatusmain body 2 is connected to theultrasound probe 1 via wired connection using a cable C, theprobe control unit 18 switches and controls the first changeover switch SW1 such that the connection terminal T1 is connected to thetransmission circuit 12, and switches and controls the second changeover switch SW2 such that the connection terminal T2 is connected to the systempower supply circuit 22. - The
probe side processor 19 including thetransmission circuit 12, thereception circuit 13, the transmission andreception control unit 14, theimage generation unit 15, thecommunication control unit 17, and theprobe control unit 18 of theultrasound probe 1 is composed of a central processing unit (CPU) that executes various programs and a control program for causing the CPU to perform various types of processing, but theprobe side processor 19 may be composed of a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or other integrated circuits (ICs), or may be composed of a combination thereof. - In addition, the
transmission circuit 12, thereception circuit 13, the transmission andreception control unit 14, theimage generation unit 15, thecommunication control unit 17, and theprobe control unit 18 of theprobe side processor 19 can also be configured by being partially or wholly integrated into one CPU or the like. - The
wireless communication circuit 31 of the apparatusmain body 2 receives the B-mode image wirelessly transmitted from thewireless communication circuit 16 of theultrasound probe 1. - More specifically, the
wireless communication circuit 31 includes an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves, and receives a transmission signal transmitted by thewireless communication circuit 16 of theultrasound probe 1 via the antenna and demodulates the received transmission signal to send out the B-mode image to thedisplay control unit 32. - The
display control unit 32 causes themonitor 33 to display the B-mode image received via thewireless communication circuit 31 as a display image. - The
monitor 33 is controlled by thedisplay control unit 32 to display the B-mode image as the display image, and examples thereof include a display device, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) and an organic electroluminescence display (organic EL display). - The
communication control unit 34 controls thewireless communication circuit 31 such that the transmission signal transmitted from thewireless communication circuit 16 of theultrasound probe 1 is received. - The main
body control unit 35 controls each unit of the apparatusmain body 2 based on a program stored in advance in a storage unit (not shown) or the like and an input operation performed by an operator via theinput device 36. - The
input device 36 is used for the operator to perform an input operation, and can be configured by a keyboard, a mouse, a trackball, a touch pad, a touch panel, or the like. A configuration can also be employed in which a touch sensor is combined with themonitor 33 and the touch sensor is used as theinput device 36. - The
battery 38 supplies power to the HVpower supply circuit 39 and the buspower supply circuit 40. For example, thebattery 38 is composed of a plurality of cells of lithium ion batteries connected in series. - The HV
power supply circuit 39 has, for example, a flyback converter configuration using a transformer and is a power supply circuit that requires a large mounting space but can obtain a higher voltage. Specifically, the HVpower supply circuit 39 boosts an output voltage from thebattery 38 to about 70 to 100 V and supplies the transmission voltage to thetransmission circuit 12 of theultrasound probe 1 via the cable C in a case where the apparatusmain body 2 is connected to theultrasound probe 1 via wired connection using the cable C. That is, a transmission voltage higher than the transmission voltage supplied by the HVpower supply circuit 21 in theultrasound probe 1 can be supplied from the HVpower supply circuit 39 of the apparatusmain body 2 to thetransmission circuit 12 of theultrasound probe 1 during wired connection. - The bus
power supply circuit 40 converts the output voltage from thebattery 38 to, for example, about 5 V and supplies the converted voltage as a drive voltage to each circuit in the apparatusmain body 2, and supplies power to the systempower supply circuit 22 of theultrasound probe 1 via the cable (not shown) in a case where the apparatusmain body 2 is connected to theultrasound probe 1 via wired connection. - The main
body side processor 37 including thedisplay control unit 32, thecommunication control unit 34, and the mainbody control unit 35 of the apparatusmain body 2 is composed of a CPU and a control program for causing the CPU to perform various types of processing, but the mainbody side processor 37 may be composed of FPGA, DSP, ASIC, GPU, or other ICs, or may be composed of a combination thereof. - In addition, the
display control unit 32, thecommunication control unit 34, and the mainbody control unit 35 of the mainbody side processor 37 can also be configured by being partially or wholly integrated into one CPU or the like. - Next, the operation of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to
Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart ofFIG. 5 . - First, in step S1, it is determined whether the
ultrasound probe 1 and the apparatusmain body 2 are connected via wireless connection or via wired connection. This determination can be performed, for example, by theprobe control unit 18 of theultrasound probe 1 monitoring potentials of the connection terminals T1 and T2, or monitoring the communication environment in thewireless communication circuit 16. - As a result of the determination, as shown in
FIG. 1 , in a case where theultrasound probe 1 and the apparatusmain body 2 are connected via wireless connection, the process proceeds to step S2, and the transmission voltage for transmitting ultrasound waves is supplied from the built-inbattery 20 of theultrasound probe 1 to thetransmission circuit 12. Specifically, the first changeover switch SW1 is switched and controlled by theprobe control unit 18 such that the HVpower supply circuit 21 is connected to thetransmission circuit 12, and the HVpower supply circuit 21 boosts the output voltage from the built-inbattery 20 to, for example, 36 V or the like and supplies the boosted voltage to thetransmission circuit 12 via the first changeover switch SW1. - In addition, the second changeover switch SW2 is switched and controlled by the
probe control unit 18 such that the built-inbattery 20 is connected to the systempower supply circuit 22. As a result, the systempower supply circuit 22 converts the output voltage from the built-inbattery 20 into, for example, about 1 to 3 V and supplies the converted voltage to each circuit in theultrasound probe 1 as the drive voltage. - In the apparatus
main body 2, the buspower supply circuit 40 converts the output voltage from thebattery 38 into, for example, about 5 V and supplies the converted voltage to each circuit in the apparatusmain body 2 as the drive voltage. - In a case of performing examination using ultrasound waves, as shown in the flowchart of
FIG. 6 , first, in step S5, the ultrasound beam is transmitted into the subject under examination from the plurality of transducers of thetransducer array 11 in accordance with the drive signal from thetransmission circuit 12 under the control of the transmission andreception control unit 14 of theultrasound probe 1. Here, the drive signal supplied from thetransmission circuit 12 to the plurality of transducers of thetransducer array 11 is formed based on the transmission voltage supplied from the HVpower supply circuit 21 to thetransmission circuit 12. - The ultrasound echo by the subject under examination is received by the plurality of transducers of the
transducer array 11, and the reception signal, which is an analog signal, is output from the plurality of transducers to thereception circuit 13. - In subsequent step S6, the reception signal is amplified by the
amplification section 41 of thereception circuit 13, subjected to AD conversion by theAD conversion section 42, and then subjected to reception focus processing by the beam former 43, whereby the sound ray signal is generated, and the sound ray signal is sent out from thereception circuit 13 to theimage generation unit 15. - Further, in step S7, the B-mode image is generated by the
image generation unit 15 based on the sound ray signal. - At this time, the B-mode image signal is generated by correcting the attenuation caused by the distance according to the depth of the position where ultrasound waves are reflected and performing the envelope detection processing through the
signal processing section 44 of theimage generation unit 15, the B-mode image signal is converted into the image signal according to the normal television signal scanning method by theDSC 45, and various types of necessary image processing, such as gradation processing, is performed by theimage processing section 46, so that the B-mode image is generated. - The B-mode image generated in this manner is transmitted from the
ultrasound probe 1 to the apparatusmain body 2 in step S8. At this time, since theultrasound probe 1 is connected to the apparatusmain body 2 via wireless connection, the B-mode image generated by theimage generation unit 15 is wirelessly transmitted from thewireless communication circuit 16 to the apparatusmain body 2. - The B-mode image wirelessly transmitted from the
ultrasound probe 1 to the apparatusmain body 2 is received by thewireless communication circuit 31 of the apparatusmain body 2 and displayed on themonitor 33 via thedisplay control unit 32 in step S9. - After that, in step S4 of
FIG. 5 , it is determined whether or not the examination using ultrasound waves has been completed, and in a case where it is determined that the examination has not yet been completed, the process returns to step S1, and processing of steps S1 and S2 is repeated, and in a case where it is determined that the examination has been completed, a series of processing ends. - On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S1, as shown in
FIG. 4 , in a case where theultrasound probe 1 and the apparatusmain body 2 are connected via wired connection using the cable C, the process proceeds to step S3, and the transmission voltage for transmitting ultrasound waves is supplied from the apparatusmain body 2 to thetransmission circuit 12 of theultrasound probe 1. Specifically, the first changeover switch SW1 is switched and controlled by theprobe control unit 18 such that the connection terminal T1 is connected to thetransmission circuit 12, and a power voltage boosted to about 70 to 100 V by the HVpower supply circuit 39 of the apparatusmain body 2 is supplied to thetransmission circuit 12 of theultrasound probe 1 via the connection terminal T4 of the apparatusmain body 2, the cable C, the connection terminal T1 of theultrasound probe 1, and the first changeover switch SW1. - In addition, the second changeover switch SW2 is switched and controlled by the
probe control unit 18 such that the connection terminal T2 is connected to the systempower supply circuit 22. As a result, a power voltage converted to, for example, about 5 V by the buspower supply circuit 40 of the apparatusmain body 2, which constitutes the external power supply circuit, is supplied to the systempower supply circuit 22 of theultrasound probe 1 via the connection terminal T5 of the apparatusmain body 2, the cable C, the connection terminal T2 of theultrasound probe 1, and the second changeover switch SW2. The systempower supply circuit 22 receives the power voltage supplied from the buspower supply circuit 40 of the apparatusmain body 2 and supplies the drive voltage to each circuit in theultrasound probe 1. - In a case of performing examination using ultrasound waves, as shown in the flowchart of
FIG. 6 , first, in step S5, the ultrasound beam is transmitted into the subject under examination from the plurality of transducers of thetransducer array 11 in accordance with the drive signal from thetransmission circuit 12 under the control of the transmission andreception control unit 14 of theultrasound probe 1. Here, the drive signal supplied from thetransmission circuit 12 to the plurality of transducers of thetransducer array 11 is formed based on the transmission voltage that is boosted to about 70 to 100 V by the HVpower supply circuit 39 of the apparatusmain body 2, which constitutes the external power supply circuit, and that is supplied to thetransmission circuit 12 of theultrasound probe 1. - That is, a transmission voltage higher than a transmission voltage of 36 V or the like supplied from the HV
power supply circuit 21 in theultrasound probe 1 to thetransmission circuit 12 during wireless connection is supplied from the HVpower supply circuit 39 of the apparatusmain body 2 to thetransmission circuit 12 during wired connection. Therefore, a stronger (higher-energy) ultrasound beam can be transmitted from the plurality of transducers of thetransducer array 11. - The ultrasound echo by the subject under examination is received by the plurality of transducers of the
transducer array 11, and the reception signal, which is an analog signal, is output from the plurality of transducers to thereception circuit 13. Then, in step S6, the sound ray signal is generated by thereception circuit 13, and in step S7, the B-mode image is further generated by theimage generation unit 15. - The generated B-mode image is transmitted from the
ultrasound probe 1 to the apparatusmain body 2 in subsequent step S8. However, since theultrasound probe 1 is connected to the apparatusmain body 2 via wired connection, the B-mode image generated by theimage generation unit 15 is transmitted to the apparatusmain body 2 via the connection terminal T3 of theultrasound probe 1, the cable C, and connection terminal T6 of the apparatusmain body 2. Then, the B-mode image is displayed on themonitor 33 by thedisplay control unit 32 of the apparatusmain body 2. - As described above, a stronger ultrasound beam can be transmitted from the plurality of transducers of the
transducer array 11 by using the high transmission voltage supplied from the HVpower supply circuit 39 of the apparatusmain body 2 during wired connection, which makes it possible to display a clear B-mode image of a deeper region of the subject under examination. - After that, in step S4 of
FIG. 5 , it is determined whether or not the examination using ultrasound waves has been completed, and in a case where it is determined that the examination has not yet been completed, the process returns to step S1, and processing of steps S1 and S3 is repeated, and in a case where it is determined that the examination has been completed, a series of processing ends. - As described above, by mounting the built-in
battery 20 and the HVpower supply circuit 21 each of which allows for a small mounting space within theultrasound probe 1, theultrasound probe 1 that is compact and has excellent portability is configured. Therefore, the operability of theultrasound probe 1 is improved in a case where theultrasound probe 1 and the apparatusmain body 2 are connected via wireless connection, and a clearer ultrasound image can be acquired by supplying a higher transmission voltage than the transmission voltage during wireless connection from the HVpower supply circuit 39 of the apparatusmain body 2 to thetransmission circuit 12 of theultrasound probe 1 in a case where theultrasound probe 1 and the apparatusmain body 2 are connected via wired connection. That is, it is possible to achieve both improvement in operability of theultrasound probe 1 during wireless connection and acquisition of an ultrasound image with high image quality during wired connection. - Further, a power voltage converted to, for example, about 5 V, which is higher than the output voltage of the built-in
battery 20 of theultrasound probe 1, is supplied to the systempower supply circuit 22 of theultrasound probe 1 by the buspower supply circuit 40 of the apparatusmain body 2 during wired connection, so that it is possible to reduce the power loss while using the same systempower supply circuit 22, and it is possible to suppress temperature rise inside theultrasound probe 1. - Since the output voltage from the
battery 38 is boosted to about 70 to 100 V and supplied to thetransmission circuit 12 of theultrasound probe 1 by the HVpower supply circuit 39 of the apparatusmain body 2 during wired connection, heat is generated from the HVpower supply circuit 39. However, since the HVpower supply circuit 39 is mounted inside the apparatusmain body 2, the temperature rise caused by the heat generated by the HVpower supply circuit 39 does not occur inside theultrasound probe 1. - The surface temperature of the
ultrasound probe 1 is limited to a temperature below predetermined safety standards. During wireless connection, the HVpower supply circuit 21, which has a relatively low output voltage, is used in theultrasound probe 1 so that the temperature rise inside theultrasound probe 1 is suppressed while sacrificing the performance degradation of ultrasound image generation, and during wired connection, the transmission voltage is supplied from the HVpower supply circuit 39, which has a relatively high output voltage, of the apparatusmain body 2 to thetransmission circuit 12 in theultrasound probe 1 so that an ultrasound image with high image quality can be obtained while suppressing the temperature rise inside theultrasound probe 1. As a result, both during wireless connection and during wired connection, the power consumption in theultrasound probe 1 is suppressed, which enables prolonged operation of theultrasound probe 1 using the built-inbattery 20. - In addition, the
probe control unit 18 of theultrasound probe 1 can drive thereception circuit 13 in a low power consumption mode in order to suppress the power consumption in theultrasound probe 1 in a case where the apparatusmain body 2 is connected to theultrasound probe 1 via wireless connection, and can also drive thereception circuit 13 in a low noise mode in order to improve the image quality of the ultrasound image to be generated, in a case where the apparatusmain body 2 is connected to theultrasound probe 1 via wired connection. - Further, the
probe control unit 18 of theultrasound probe 1 supplies the power voltage from the buspower supply circuit 40 of the apparatusmain body 2 to the systempower supply circuit 22 of theultrasound probe 1 to supply the drive voltage from the systempower supply circuit 22 to each circuit in theultrasound probe 1 including thetransmission circuit 12, thereception circuit 13, and theimage generation unit 15 in a case where the apparatusmain body 2 is connected to theultrasound probe 1 via wired connection, thereby reducing the power loss inside theprobe control unit 18, so that theimage generation unit 15 can also generate the ultrasound image at a higher frame rate than the that during wireless connection. - The HV
power supply circuit 21 of theultrasound probe 1 can be configured to supply a variable transmission voltage to thetransmission circuit 12, whereby theprobe control unit 18 can supply thetransmission circuit 12 with, for example, a transmission voltage corresponding to the depth of a region to be imaged from the HVpower supply circuit 21 in a case where the apparatusmain body 2 is connected to theultrasound probe 1 via wireless connection. - Further, the HV
power supply circuit 39 of the apparatusmain body 2, which constitutes the external power supply circuit, can also be configured to supply thetransmission circuit 12 with a variable transmission voltage having a voltage range wider than the transmission voltage supplied from the HVpower supply circuit 21 of theultrasound probe 1 during wireless connection in a case where the apparatusmain body 2 is connected to theultrasound probe 1 via wired connection. As a result, for example, in order to acquire a clear B-mode image of a deeper region of the subject under examination, a transmission voltage higher than that during wireless connection can be supplied to thetransmission circuit 12, and a transmission voltage lower than that during wireless connection can also be supplied to thetransmission circuit 12 in a case where ultrasound pulses are repeatedly transmitted, for example. -
FIG. 7 shows a configuration of anultrasound probe 1A used in an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according toEmbodiment 2 of the present invention. Theultrasound probe 1A is obtained by adding abooster circuit 23 to theultrasound probe 1 used in the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus ofEmbodiment 1 shown inFIG. 1 . Thebooster circuit 23 is connected to the built-inbattery 20, and the HVpower supply circuit 21 and the second changeover switch SW2 are connected to thebooster circuit 23. Other configurations of theultrasound probe 1A are the same as those of theultrasound probe 1 shown inFIG. 1 . - The
booster circuit 23 boosts an output voltage of the built-inbattery 20, such as 3.6 V to, for example, 5 V, 12 V, or the like, and is a circuit that has, for example, a boost converter configuration which does not use a transformer and that allows for a small mounting space within theultrasound probe 1A. - In a case where the apparatus
main body 2 shown inFIG. 1 is connected to theultrasound probe 1A shown inFIG. 7 via wireless connection, theprobe control unit 18 switches and controls the first changeover switch SW1 such that the HVpower supply circuit 21 is connected to thetransmission circuit 12, and switches and controls the second changeover switch SW2 such that thebooster circuit 23 is connected to the systempower supply circuit 22. As a result, the output voltage of the built-inbattery 20 is once boosted by thebooster circuit 23, the transmission voltage further boosted by the HVpower supply circuit 21 is supplied to thetransmission circuit 12, and the voltage boosted by thebooster circuit 23 is stepped down by the systempower supply circuit 22 and is supplied as the drive voltage to each circuit in theultrasound probe 1A. Accordingly, it is possible to improve the conversion efficiency of the power voltage in theultrasound probe 1A. - On the other hand, in a case where the apparatus
main body 2 shown inFIG. 1 is connected to theultrasound probe 1A shown inFIG. 7 via wired connection, theprobe control unit 18 switches and controls the first changeover switch SW1 such that the connection terminal T1 is connected to thetransmission circuit 12, and switches and controls the second changeover switch SW2 such that the connection terminal T2 is connected to the systempower supply circuit 22. As a result, similarly to the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus ofEmbodiment 1, the power voltage boosted by the HVpower supply circuit 39 of the apparatusmain body 2 is supplied from the connection terminal T1 to thetransmission circuit 12 via the first changeover switch SW1 without passing through thebooster circuit 23 of theultrasound probe 1A. In addition, a power voltage converted to, for example, about 5 V by the buspower supply circuit 40 of the apparatusmain body 2 is supplied from the connection terminal T2 to the systempower supply circuit 22 via the second changeover switch SW2, and the drive voltage is supplied from the systempower supply circuit 22 to each circuit in theultrasound probe 1A. - In
Embodiments main body 2, a portable or handheld compact apparatus main body can be used, and a stationary apparatus main body can also be used. The apparatusmain body 2 can also be configured to draw power from a commercial power source without incorporating thebattery 38. -
-
- 1, 1A: ultrasound probe
- 2: apparatus main body
- 11: transducer array
- 12: transmission circuit
- 13: reception circuit
- 14: transmission and reception control unit
- 15: image generation unit
- 16: wireless communication circuit
- 17: communication control unit
- 18: probe control unit
- 19: probe side processor
- 20: built-in battery
- 21: HV power supply circuit (in-probe power supply circuit)
- 22: system power supply circuit
- 23: booster circuit
- 31: wireless communication circuit
- 32: display control unit
- 33: monitor
- 34: communication control unit
- 35: main body control unit
- 36: input device
- 37: main body side processor
- 38: battery
- 39: HV power supply circuit (external power supply circuit)
- 40: bus power supply circuit (external power supply circuit)
- 41: amplification section
- 42: AD conversion section
- 43: beam former
- 44: signal processing section
- 45: DSC
- 46: image processing section
- T1 to T6: connection terminal
- SW1: first changeover switch
- SW2: second changeover switch
- C: cable.
Claims (20)
1. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprising:
an apparatus main body; and
an ultrasound probe that is used by switching between a wireless connection mode and a wired connection mode with respect to the apparatus main body,
wherein the apparatus main body includes an external power supply circuit, and
the ultrasound probe includes
a transducer array,
a built-in battery,
an in-probe power supply circuit configured to generate a transmission voltage using an output voltage of the built-in battery, and
a probe side processor,
the probe side processor being configured to
cause the transmission voltage generated by the in-probe power supply circuit to be supplied to the probe side processor in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wireless connection, and cause a transmission voltage generated by the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body to be supplied to the probe side processor in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection,
cause an ultrasound wave to be transmitted toward a subject under examination by supplying the transmission voltage to the transducer array, and
receive an ultrasound echo from the subject under examination and acquire a reception signal.
2. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection, a transmission voltage higher than the transmission voltage supplied from the in-probe power supply circuit during wireless connection is supplied from the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body to the probe side processor.
3. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the probe side processor is configured to:
perform the receiving of the ultrasound echo and the acquiring of the reception signal in a low power consumption mode in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wireless connection; and
perform the receiving of the ultrasound echo and the acquiring of the reception signal in a low noise mode in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection.
4. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the probe side processor is configured to:
perform the receiving of the ultrasound echo and the acquiring of the reception signal in a low power consumption mode in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wireless connection; and
perform the receiving of the ultrasound echo and the acquiring of the reception signal in a low noise mode in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection.
5. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the probe side processor is configured to:
generate an ultrasound image based on the reception signal; and
cause power to be supplied from the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body to the probe side processor and generate the ultrasound image at a higher frame rate than a frame rate during wireless connection in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection.
6. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the probe side processor is configured to:
generate an ultrasound image based on the reception signal; and
cause power to be supplied from the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body to the probe side processor and generate the ultrasound image at a higher frame rate than a frame rate during wireless connection in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection.
7. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the probe side processor is configured to:
generate an ultrasound image based on the reception signal; and
cause power to be supplied from the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body to the probe side processor and generate the ultrasound image at a higher frame rate than a frame rate during wireless connection in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection.
8. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wireless connection, the in-probe power supply circuit generates a variable transmission voltage and supplies the same to the probe side processor, and
in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection, the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body generates a variable transmission voltage having a voltage range wider than a voltage range of the transmission voltage during wireless connection and supplies the same to the probe side processor.
9. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein, in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wireless connection, the in-probe power supply circuit generates a variable transmission voltage and supplies the same to the probe side processor, and
in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection, the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body generates a variable transmission voltage having a voltage range wider than a voltage range of the transmission voltage during wireless connection and supplies the same to the probe side processor.
10. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein, in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wireless connection, the in-probe power supply circuit generates a variable transmission voltage and supplies the same to the probe side processor, and
in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection, the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body generates a variable transmission voltage having a voltage range wider than a voltage range of the transmission voltage during wireless connection and supplies the same to the probe side processor.
11. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein, in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wireless connection, the in-probe power supply circuit generates a variable transmission voltage and supplies the same to the probe side processor, and
in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection, the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body generates a variable transmission voltage having a voltage range wider than a voltage range of the transmission voltage during wireless connection and supplies the same to the probe side processor.
12. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the ultrasound probe includes a booster circuit configured to boost the output voltage of the built-in battery, and
the in-probe power supply circuit is configured to generate the transmission voltage using an output voltage of the booster circuit.
13. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the ultrasound probe includes a booster circuit configured to boost the output voltage of the built-in battery, and
the in-probe power supply circuit is configured to generate the transmission voltage using an output voltage of the booster circuit.
14. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the ultrasound probe includes a booster circuit configured to boost the output voltage of the built-in battery, and
the in-probe power supply circuit is configured to generate the transmission voltage using an output voltage of the booster circuit.
15. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the ultrasound probe includes a booster circuit configured to boost the output voltage of the built-in battery, and
the in-probe power supply circuit is configured to generate the transmission voltage using an output voltage of the booster circuit.
16. A control method for an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus including an apparatus main body that includes an external power supply circuit, and an ultrasound probe that is used by switching between a wireless connection mode and a wired connection mode with respect to the apparatus main body and that includes a transducer array, a built-in battery, an in-probe power supply circuit, and a probe side processor, the control method comprising:
causing a transmission voltage generated by the in-probe power supply circuit using an output voltage of the built-in battery to be supplied to the probe side processor in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wireless connection; and
causing a transmission voltage generated by the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body to be supplied to the probe side processor in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection.
17. The control method for an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 16 ,
wherein, in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection, a transmission voltage higher than the transmission voltage supplied from the in-probe power supply circuit during wireless connection is supplied from the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body to the probe side processor.
18. The control method for an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 16 ,
wherein the probe side processor is driven to receive an ultrasound echo and acquire a reception signal in a low power consumption mode in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wireless connection, and
the probe side processor is driven to receive an ultrasound echo and acquire a reception signal in a low noise mode in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection.
19. The control method for an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 16 ,
wherein power is caused to be supplied from the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body to the probe side processor in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection, and an ultrasound image is generated by the probe side processor based on a reception signal at a higher frame rate than a frame rate during wireless connection.
20. The control method for an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 16 ,
wherein, in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wireless connection, a variable transmission voltage is supplied from the in-probe power supply circuit to the probe side processor, and
in a case where the apparatus main body is connected to the ultrasound probe via wired connection, a variable transmission voltage having a voltage range wider than a voltage range of the transmission voltage during wireless connection is generated by the external power supply circuit of the apparatus main body and supplied to the probe side processor.
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PCT/JP2021/045085 WO2022201655A1 (en) | 2021-03-22 | 2021-12-08 | Ultrasonic diagnostic device and method for controlling ultrasonic diagnostic device |
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